Hey when we saw them they were on the left hand side if headed from phebeni in a ditch on the side of the road!

This is them in the afternoon each picture taken on 3 different days! Pitty the grass was in the way as i could not get a clear picture of them:

the mother still had a large patch of hair missing on the neck but as i was watching the pup closely she would go to the mother and start bitting the neck and she was doing it over and over again! so not sure if it is a scar from her being in a fight or if it is from the pup bitting her continuously on her neck!

I came across this mongoose by the camp gate look closely at him and you can see he has only got one hand!

We were at Kgalagadi last month, spending hours watching a den of spotties just north of Urikaruus where there was a cub that was just days old. Unlike at a lion sighting, most people would stop for five or six minutes and hurry on, others would barely stop at all. I can't understand it. Is it because they have a bad rap as hermaphroditic scavengers, the demented schemers they're portrayed in Disney's Lion King? Seriously, people, this is just fiction! The truth is that they're amazing predators deserving just as much attention as lions. All they need is a good spin doctor and a spot of rebranding. Check out the latest post (Don't believe everything you hear about hyenas) on my blog below for some commonly held myths about these social animals...

Because they are not on the big 5 list that certain superficial wildlife lovers (particularly the OSV safari lover type) pay exclusive homage to ...

KNP is sacred.I am opposed to the modernisation of Kruger and from the depths of my soul long for the Kruger of yesteryear! 1000+km on foot in KNP incl 56 wild trails.200+ nights in the wildernessndloti-indigenous name for serval.

We were at Kruger in August and we spent hours watching a den of spotties just south of Afsaal where there were quite a few cubs of different sizes. Unlike at a lion sighting, where people gang up and hang around for hours, most people would stop for a few minutes before hurrying on, others would barely stop at all. I can't understand it. Is it because spotted hyena have a bad rap as hermaphroditic scavengers, the demented schemers they're portrayed in Disney's Lion King? Seriously, people, this is just fiction! The truth is that spotties are amazing predators who deserve just as much attention as lions. All they need is a good spin doctor and a spot of rebranding, so that's my mission here. Check out the latest post (Don't believe everything you hear about hyenas) on my blog below for some commonly held myths about these social animals...

You forgot to mention that the likely hood of seeing a kill is greater with Hyenas than Lions.

Besides giving them the credit they are due, people don't stop to appreciate the beauty of these animals. Those jaws are amongst the most powerful in the animal kingdom. Look closer and you'll see the beauty. I challenge everyone on this forum to stop for an extra 5 minutes (time yourselves) next time you see a Hyena and just study the animal. You'll be surprised.

"What makes a simple picture a true photograph, is the infusion of a story, emotions and memories."

Hi Annie,I agree regarding hyaena's.Despite their bad rep they do have a softer side. We watched some spotties at their den in a culvert on the tar road near Shingwedzi . There was a young adult and three small cubs and it was amazing to see how they played and "cuddled" one another. If one takes the time to stop and watch a while one sees the "family" side of an animal and not just a shape passing in the grass. Thanks for the comments

I've read through the whole thread now to see if there is an answer / confirmation on what I read about hyenas bathing. I only found the same question posed by Eagle Owl some time ago, but no reply to it. So, here it goes:

Is it correct that hyenas like to take a bath after a meal as it helps them to digest the food and also, because they produce lots of energy while eating (and eating large amounts resulting in producing lots of energy) and need to cool down?

Okay, you know where I come from talking about the cams, and that's where we were wondering about why the hyenas keep bathing at Satara and now at Orpen as well. I had read it up some time ago and all I could find was what I posted on the previous page. I knew about their food being stashed in water sometimes to prevent other hyenas of taking it away. But those we saw on the cams definitely didn't have any food on them. Well, not lately. There was one occasion where you could actually see a hyena 'washing' its prey.

Long post made short, I still would like to know if it's true that hyena want to help their digestion and to cool down their body temp which they supposingly produced while eating.

I've just been reading up on Hyena behaviour in vol. 1 of The Handbook of Mammals of the World. (carnivores)

It mentions that Hyenas often cache their food under water, as well as in thick scrub, and that they lie in water on hot days to keep cool. I could find no reference to them lying in water to keep cool due to heat generated by their digestion, (but that's not to say that this is not the reason they do this).

This hyena was spotted with her 2 cubs, however she was severely injured and could barely walk.This clan of hyenas also had an extremely close encounter with another Hyena closing in on the Cubs. Due to her injuries, the female merely urinated on the floor to mark her territory in an attempt to chase away the other Hyena.